BookBrowse Reviews Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton

BookBrowse:

A touching and thoughtful account of the author's relationship with a wild hare.

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Chloe Dalton, a political adviser who has worked in the UK parliament, wrote her first book, Raising Hare, about caring for a baby hare in the English countryside. First Impressions readers absolutely loved it, awarding it an average rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars.

What the book is about:

This is a touching memoir of Dalton's relationship with a leveret — a baby hare — that she finds not far from her home in the English countryside. With no mother in sight, she fears it may not survive on its own. She decides to take it home for one night, taking care to not leave her scent on the leveret so it can be released back into the wild. What follows is a multi-year relationship with the leveret as it develops into a full grown hare...Throughout, Dalton struggles with providing the hare with a safe space while not confining it or turning it into a pet (Michele N).

Reviewers appreciated the respectful and thoughtful way Dalton portrays nature and humans' connection with it.

Raising Hare is a beautifully written book about a woman's unexpected encounter with a wild hare (a leveret), and her experience with its care. Ms. Dalton is remarkably responsible and thoughtful about how she does this, trying everything possible to allow it to remain wild (Molly B). The irony in the title of Chloe Dalton's memoir Raising Hare is that the author tried so very hard NOT to raise the leveret she found on the roadside one winter's day…Instead, in the three years that Dalton covers, the hare raises Dalton's consciousness of her relation to the world of nature (Nona F).

Many also found the book educational…

I have had very little experience with hares. I thought they were a different type of rabbit. I found the information about the history of hares interspersed through the book very interesting (Lisa O). I certainly learned more about hares in the wild, all over the world and in literature, than I ever thought I would need to know while reading Raising Hare (Kathrin C).

…and enjoyed seeing how the author evolved personally.

The reason I loved this book is that it gave me a close up view of how the author's relationship with a wild hare caused her to grow in depth as a person (Marianne L). Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton is a gentle, pastoral book that takes you on a journey not only of a hare but of the author and her self-awareness (Diane T).

Readers recommend the book to those interested in the natural world or the bond between people and animals.

I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoyed Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy or The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey (Cindy J). As I devoured this book, I was reminded of another memoir I read for First Impressions: Carl Safina's Alfie and Me...Safina writes about rescuing a newborn owlet and, like Chloe Dalton, he cares for his ward with the idea of encouraging it to remain wild and return to its natural habitat. And in each case, what unfolds is suspenseful and surprising. I highly recommend Raising Hare to all readers who love a heartfelt true story of the profound lessons learned when humans and wild creatures are able to form an unexpected bond (Linda A).

This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in March 2025, and has been updated for the March 2026 edition. Click here to go to this issue.